Cultivator.



, PATENTED MAR. 14, 1905.y

s. N. BENCH.

GULTIVATOR. V APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, 1904.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

gemss N* 259e e e@ gen' eee e@ ge ses . INVENTOR BY l AA., /fomey No. 785,038.- 4 PATENTEDY-MAR. 14, 1905.

S. N. BENCH. I

UUL'I'IVATR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 23. 1904.

MENTS-SHEET a.

[NVE/WOR 100,785,030. -PATBNTBD MAR.14,1905.

s. N. HENGH..

GULTIVATOR. APPLIGATION FILED SEPT, 2 0, 1904.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 5, l

No. 785,038. PATENTED MAR.14,1905.

v s. N. HENGH.

CULTIVATDR.

APPLIOATIQN FILED sumas, 1904.

'I SHEBTS-SEBET 6. l

1\o.-'785, O38. PATETED MARIN., 1905. S. N. HENCH.

CULTIVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. za, 1904.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 7.

UNTTEE STATES Patented March 14, 1905r SAMUEL NEVIN HENCH, OF YORK, PENNSYLVANIA CULTIVATOFK SPECFICATION forming part ot Letters Patent N0. 785,038, dated March 14, 1905.

I Application Bled September 28, 1904. Serial No. 226,353. l

T0 rif/ZZ whom, it may concern: Be it known that I, SAMUEL NEvIN HENcH, of York, in the county of York and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cultivators, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in whichu Figure l is a plan view of a walking-cultivator of the straddle-row type embodying my improvements in their preferred form. Fig. 2 is a rear end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the cultivator with the drag-bars or shovel-beams nearly down. Fig. 5 is a like elevation of the same with the parts \in the position they occupy when the dragbars or shovel-beams are thrown up. The remaining gures (6 to 10, inclusive) are views, on enlarged scale, of structural details. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one end of the archbeam, the sleeve thereon to whichare jointed the supporting arms or rods by which the shovel-beams are permitted parallel motion to and from each other, the lever-arm thereon, which carries the wheel-spindle or stubaxle, and the spindle itself, all of these parts being'shown detached from one another, but

still associated in approximately their relative positions. Fig. I shows the spindle-carrying lever and the parts immediately connected with the same in three positions. The position shown in full lines is that which it occupies when the shovel-beams are down, so that the shovels rest on the ground, as in Fig. 4. The position shown in dotted lines to the left is that which it occupies when the shovels are downjn the soil, and the position shown in dotted lines to the right is that which it occupies when the shovel-beams are thrown up, as in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a part of one ofthe shovel-beams, showing the means employed for connecting therewith the .two arms by which the beam is coupled to the arch-beam. Fig. 9 is a horizontal longitudinal section of these parts on line 9 9, Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a section on line 10 10, Fig. 9.

My improvements have principally to do with the means for coupling the drag-bars or shovel-beams to the arch-beam or other part or' the frame to which they may be connected and for preventing lost motion and taking up wear therein and with the devices and combinations of devices by which the drag-bars may be thrown up or down and held in either position and also by which when the dragbars are down their pressure in downward direction may be regulated at pleasure, so as to cause the shovels which they carry to act upon vthe ground with more or less vigor, as desired.

pose of thisv divided arrangement of the archbeam is, as is well known, to permit the two parts of the beam to be adjustedin such manner as to set the wheels' near together or farther apart, as desired. The l,outer ends of the divided arch-beam are cylindrical in cross-section, and upon each of them is iitted a sleeve C and the upper end of an arm D, both of rwhich can turn up'on the outer end of the beam as an axis. The sleeve and arm when in action are rigidly secured together and move together, and, indeed, they may be formed in one or immovably fastened together, if desired. 1 prefer, however, to fasten them together adjustably for purposes hereinafter indicated. Each arm D carries the spindle or stub-axle E, Fig. 6, on which one of the two` wheels W of the machine is mounted, and each sleeve C is jointed to the pair ot' couplingarms F Gr which belong to the drag-bar or shovel-beam H on the same side of the machine with the sleeve, each beam carrying suitable shovels S and a guard-wheel T of suitable construction. Each main coupling-arm F is jointed to its sleeve C by means of a vertical joint pin or boltf, which passes through holes in the limbs of the front forked end of the arm and through a vertical socket or hub o on the sleeve, which tits between the limbs of the fork and is there held by a nut f. The front end of the coupling-arm F is thus swiveled to the sleeve C on a vertical axis, while ICO the sleeve itsell is mounted to turn upon a horizontal axis. Each. supplemental couplingarm G is also swiveled to its sleeve C on a vertical axis, the sleeve being provided for the purpose with a vertical hole or socket c in a horizontal iange c2 on the side of the sleeve, down through which protrudes the front hook end g of the coupling-arm G, Figs. 1 and 2, which swivels in the socket and is held therein by a cotter-pin g or the like. The rear ends of the main coupling-arm F and the supplemental coupling-arm G are also swiveled to their drag-bar or shovel-arm H, each on a vertical axis. The particular means there eniployed for this purpose will be presently described.

Each spindle or stub-axle E is preferably fastened to its supporting-arm D by having one of its ends inserted into a split ring or hub c, formed on the lower end of the arm and there held tightly in place by closing upon it the split ring by means of a clamping nut and bolt c, which engages ears e2 on the ring in the usual way. l

The heads of the spindle-carrying arms D are enlarged'and are provided with holes engaged by the usual shackles 0 of the whiiiietree connections and stay-rods p, which extend thence to a cross-bar B' on the main frame,

to which they are fastened. Other stay-rods, p", have eyed ends which it on the lower horizontal portions of the arch-beam at the point where those portions join the vertical limbs of the arch-beam (as seen, for example, in Fig. 3) and extend up to and are bolted to the cross-beam.

The drag-bars H are provided with handles K of any usual 'orsuitable construction. Each drag-bar is held down to its work with yielding pressure exerted by a spring' I, (in this instance a spiral spring,) which is attached at its front end to an eye z' on the cross-beam B and at its rear end to a link J, which in turn passes around and engages a notched bar f2, projecting downward from the Linder side of the main coupling-arm F. In the intermediate position in which the drag-bars are shown in the drawings the points 1 and 2, Fig. 3, at which the spring l and its link J are severally connected to the cross-bar B and coupling-arm F, are in a straight line, which practically intersects the axis of oscillation of sleeve C, to which the front end of coupling-arm is attached; but when the drag-bars are pressed down by their handles so as to bring the points 1 2 in a straight line which passes below the axis of oscillation of sleeves() then the springs I, through the links J and bars f2, exert a downward pull upon the coupling-arms with the effect of holding down the drag-bars tov their work with yielding pressure. The notched bars f2 are provided with a series of notches f3, so that by engaging thelinks with the selected notches the downward spring pressure or pull can be varied and regulated as desired. sired for any reason to throw the shovels out of action all that is needed is to lift the drag'- bars by their handles until the points 1 and 2 are in a straight line which passes above the axis of oscillation of the sleeves C. The pull of the springs I then lifts the drag-bars to the position shown in Fig. 5 and holds them there. The front end of each brag-bar when in this position passes between a pair of spring-clips L, one on the rear end of each limb of the divided tongue, which serve to assure the dragbars in their raised position. It will be noted by reference to Fig.. 5 that in this operation of' throwing up the drag-bars not only are they raised, but the arch-beam and main frame On the other hand, when it is dei drop, the weight of the latter thus assisting in the operation and measurably lightening the work of the springs. This feature I believe to be new with me beyond its special structural embodiment herein illustrated.

As hereinbefore indicated, I prefer to adjustably connect each sleeve C with its arm D, the object being to provide a means' for varying the pitch of the shovels so that, for instance, either the front or the rear shovel will run a little deeper or shallower, as required. To this end in arm D, below the hole through which passes the horizontal outer end of the arch-beam, is a series of holes CZ, in this instance three in number, which are formed in the arc of a circle of which the axis of oscillation of the arm D, is the center. These holes are preferably formed, as shown, as squared openings in a slot in the arm D, through one or the other of which will pass the squared portion of the shank of the bolt d, by which the arm is held to the sleeve C, the latter being provided at its innerl end, which ts up against the arm D, with a radial enlargement C', in which is formed the hole d2, through IOO which protrudes the screw-threaded end of' the bolt d', upon which the holding-nut is to be screwed. By passing the bolt cl/ through one or the other of the holes Z the sleeve C necessarily will be partly rotated in one direction or the other, with the result of slightly lifting or lowering the front end of the dragbar to which it is connected, and thus correspondingly changing the pitch of the shovels.

lt remains to describe the means for securing the coupling-arms to their drag-bars, having more particular reference to the devices used for this purpose in'connection with the main coupling-arms F, which take most of the strain.

Each drag-bar H consists (as in my prior Patent No. 684,571, of October 15, 1901) of two parallel bars L, provided with longitudinal rows of perforations 7L in their webs through which pass the bolts which clamp the Shanks of the shovels S between the bars L, these bolts passing through or engaging split boxes, the parts of which encircle the shovelshanks and are clamped thereto by the action of the bolts in the usual way. One of the bars t extends out in front a proper `distance beyond the other to furnish a bearing for a `guard-wheel T. The forked rear end of each ably formed for this purpose, as indicated at.

s, Fig. 10. It has a shoulder s on its lower end, on which rests the collar s2, and its upper end is screw-threaded to receive the tightening-nut s Encircling the stem s is a longitudinally-split box M, having-an interior to tit the stern and having squared exterior faces fm, to fit against the bars it, between which the box is placed, and with ears m', having slots or perforations for the passage of the bolts m2, by which the divided box and stem are firmly clamped to each other and to the dragbar, asseen in Figs. 8 and 9. The upper and lower ends of the divided box are conical, as seen at 41 and the perforated limbs f2 of the divided rear end of the main coupling-arm (see Figs. 8 and 10) encircle and swivel upon the coupling-stem s as an axis and are received the lower one between the collar s2 and the conical lower end of the split box M and the upper one between the nut s3 and the conical upper end of the split-box M. The holes or perforations in the limbs f2, through which the coupling pin or stem s passes, are conical, as' seen at f3, Fig. l0, to fit the conical ends n of the box M and to form, in conjunction with the same, cone-bearings for the swiveled rear `end of the main coupling-arm F. In this way I am enabled to avoid all lost motion, to readily compensate for and take up wear and tear, to preserve in the joint the strength requisite to enable it to resist the strain which necessarily comes upon it in the operation of raising and lowering the dragbar, and atthe same timeto assure the swiveling action 'which is requisite to easy lateral movement of the drag-bars and their shovelgangs whenever required.

The rear end of the supplemental couplingarm G is formed as a hook g2, which enters and passes down through a socket in a bearing-block O, Figs. 8 and 9, in which socket it swivels and is held by a cotter-pin g3. The block O is bolted to one of the I-bars L, as shown in the figures referred to.

rIhe arch-beam, so called., is,in fact,a part of the frame of the machine and furnishesaconvenient means for connecting the frame with the spindle-carrying arms. that these arms, which are pivotall y connected to the frame of the machine,su pport the frame, which' moves up and down with them, the arms being in turn supported by and pivotally connected with the wheels. 'Iheirv connection with the coupling-sleeves C isa rigid one,

It will be noted and thereby whenever their point of attachment to the arch-beam is to one side or the other of the dead-center the springs I act to throw them up or down, as the case may be, and hold them in that position. f

Having described my improvements and the best way now known to me of carrying the same into practical eect, I state in conclusion that I do not limit myself narrowly to thestructural details herein illustrated, for manifestly the same can be varied considerably without departure from the spirit of the invention; but

What I claim herein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, :is as follows:

1. In a cultivator the combination, substantially as set forth, of the frame, the couplingsleeves pivotally mounted on the frame, the spindle-carrying arms fast to the sleeves, the wheels mounted on said spindles, the dragbars and connections between vthe same and the coupling-sleeves, and springactuated means for controlling the vertical position of the drag-bars and holding them raised or lowered, as desired.

2. In a cultivator the combination, substantially as set forth, of the frame, the couplingsleeves pivotally mounted on the frame, the wheels and spindles or stub-axles on which they are mounted, the drag-bars and connections between the same and they couplingsleeves, and arms attached at one end to the wheel-spindles, and adjustably mounted at the other end so as to be capable of movement relatively to the coupling-sleeves, upon the axis of oscillation of the latter, and means for rigidly securing the arms in their adjusted position.

3. The arch-beam and frame, the couplingsleeves swiveled on the ends of the beam, the spindle-carrying arms, fast to the couplingsleeves, the wheels mounted on the spindles, the drag-bars and the coupling-arms connecting the drag-bars with the coupling-sleeves, in combination with springs attached at one end to the frame and at the other end to the` coupling-arms, arranged substantially as described, to hold the drag-bars down or throw them up, according as the points of attachment of the springs to the coupling-arms and the frame respectively, are in a line below or above the axis of oscillation of the couplingsleeves, substantially as set forth. I

4. In a cultivator, the combination with the frame,the coupling-sleeves pivotally mounted on the frame, the spindle-carrying arms fast to the sleeves and the wheels mounted on said spindles, of the drag-bars, the coupling-arms connecting the drag-bars with the couplingsleeves, springs attached to the frame, notched -bars extending downwardly from the coupling-arms, and adjustable connections between the springs and the notched bars, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

IOO

IIO

` 5. In a cultivator, a drag-bar composed of l ing, and holding closed, the limbs'of the two parallel bars, a split box between said coupling-arm, upon the cone ends of the box, bars having Cone ends, a coupling-pin held substantially as and for the purposes hereinin said box, and bolts for drawing together before set forth.

5 the two parts of the drag-bar, upon the box In testimony Whereoflafiix my signature in I5 and coupling-pin, in combination With the presence of tWo Witnesses.

main coupling-arm having a divided end the SAMUEL NEVIN HENCH. limbs of which have cone-openings which Witnesses: swivel on the ends of the coupling-pin and fit C. M. EICHELBERGER,

IO the cone ends of the box, and means for olos- C. P. HENCH. 

